Toronto police say a suspect who shot and killed a 31-year-old father in Scarborough in 2022 was seen on video conducting “reconnaissance” at the scene of the crime the day before the murder.
Ding Ping Wang was shot while sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of a plaza in the area of Midland and Passmore avenues on the evening of Nov. 12, 2022.
Nearly four years after the murder, police are now releasing surveillance footage from the scene that was captured the day before the homicide. The video, police said, shows the man they believe to be responsible for the shooting walking through the plaza on Nov. 11.
Det.-Sgt. Sajeev Nair told reporters Tuesday that the footage came to light after a witness recently came forward to report a suspicious person on the property the day before the homicide.
“We had collected an immense amount of data in this case and at the time, we didn’t know it was relevant,” Nair told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday morning.
“After carefully reviewing extensive surveillance video, we have identified footage of what we believe is the suspect in the area on Nov. 11, taking the same route on foot he would then use again the following day to murder Mr. Wang.”
He said the footage indicates the suspect conducted “reconnaissance” of the area before carrying out the shooting.
Based on an eye witness at the scene, police have also now released an artist rendering of the suspect, who they say is left-handed.
Nair said they believe Wang was targeted but the motive remains unclear.
“Mr. Wang was a husband, he was a father. He owned a kitchen cabinet business and worked hard to support his family and build a future for them,” Nair said.
“He was not involved in gangs. He was not living a high-risk criminal lifestyle. He was simply going about his day when his life was taken from him.”
Police said he regularly attended the industrial plaza where he was shot to conduct business for his cabinet company.
It is unclear if the victim and suspect knew each other prior to the homicide.
“For more than three years, investigators have remained committed to identifying the person responsible for this murder,” Nair said.
“We hope someone will recognize him and come forward with the information that we need to close this case.”
